required for compliance with other applicable law or applicable exchange listing requirements, the Committee may delegate any or all of its authority under this Plan to any employee or committee of employees of the Company, including but not limited to, the Chief Executive Officer. Any such delegate shall have all of the rights, obligations, discretion and protection otherwise applicable to the Committee under this Plan.
4. Eligibility. The Committee shall designate the Eligible Employees. In determining Eligible Employees and the Performance Factors relating to each Award, the Committee shall take into account such factors as the Committee shall deem relevant while accomplishing the purposes of this Plan. Unless the Committee otherwise determines and except as provided in Sections 6(c), (d) or (e) of this Plan, no person may participate in the Plan or receive any Award under this Plan unless he or she is actively employed as of the date of payment of an Award and shall have signed and shall be in full compliance with (A) the Company's Employee Agreement as to Confidentiality and Non-Competition and the Company's Code of Business Conduct (as each may be amended from time to time by the Company) and (B) to the extent applicable, any applicable employment agreement.
5. Terms of Awards.
(a) In General. Not later than 90 days after the beginning of a Performance Period (or, if earlier, on or prior to the date on which 25% of the Performance Period has elapsed) or such shorter period, if any, as may be required by applicable law, including Section 162(m) of the Code, the Committee shall specify in writing, by resolution of the Committee or other appropriate action, the Participants for such Performance Period and the Performance Factors applicable to each Award for each Participant with respect to such Performance Period, provided, however, that with respect to any Participants who are not Covered Employees or for any Performance Period for which the Plan is not intended to satisfy the requirements of Section 162(m) of the Code, the Committee shall make such written specification either within 90 days after the beginning of a Performance Period or as soon as practicable thereafter. Awards, including the terms and conditions of such Awards, shall be communicated to Participants in such form as the Committee from time to time approves. Unless otherwise provided by the Committee in connection with specified terminations of employment, or except as set forth in Section 6 of this Plan, payment in respect of Awards shall be made only to the extent that the Committee determines that the Performance Factors with respect to such Performance Period have been attained.
(b) Special Provisions Regarding Awards. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained in this Plan, in no event shall payment in respect of Awards granted to any Participant for any one annual period exceed $3.5 million. The Committee may, in its sole discretion, decrease the amount of an Award payable upon attainment of specified Performance Factors, but in no event may the Committee increase the amount of an Award payable upon attainment of specified Performance Factors to a Covered Employee in respect of any Performance Period for which the Plan is intended to satisfy the requirements of Section 162(m) of the Code.
6. Time and Form of Payment.
(a) In General. Except as may otherwise be provided or permissible to satisfy the requirements of the Code or other applicable laws, all payments in respect of Awards for a Performance Period shall be made, in cash, within two and one half months after the end of a Performance Period.
(b) Covered Employees. In addition to the provisions set forth in subsection 6(a) above, in the case of Participants who are Covered Employees, unless otherwise determined by the Committee, such payments shall be made only after achievement of the Performance Factors have been certified by the Committee.
(c) Actively Employed Employees. Unless otherwise provided by the Committee, and except as provided in the following sentence, a Participant must be actively employed by the Company as of the date of payment of an Award in order to be eligible to receive payment in respect of such Award. With respect to any Participant whose employment is terminated at any time after the beginning of a Performance Period as a result of death, Disability, Retirement, or by the Company without Good Reason or similar cause, the Committee may (but has no obligation to), in its sole discretion, determine to provide such Participant payment under his or her Award for such Performance Period at the time payment is
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made to other Participants in respect of such Performance Period (which payment may be prorated, if the Committee so provides, based on the number of days such Participant was employed during such Performance Period, or as the Committee otherwise determines is appropriate).
(d) Transferred Employees; Change of Assignment. If a Participant has a change of assignment or transfer during a Performance Period, the Committee may, in its sole discretion, determine that such Participant's Award be calculated for each position on a pro-rated basis. Similarly, the Committee may, in its sole discretion, determine that an Eligible Employee who is newly hired or who becomes eligible to join this Plan after the start of the Performance Period, shall be eligible for a pro-rated Award based on the percentage of the Performance Period actually worked while a Participant.
(e) Leaves of Absence. If a Participant takes an approved leave of absence of more than three months during all or part of a Performance Period, the Committee may, in its sole discretion, determine that such Participant shall be eligible for a pro-rated Award based on the percentage of the Performance Period actively employed.
7. General Provisions.
(a) Compliance with Legal Requirements. This Plan and the granting and payment of Awards and the other obligations of the Company under this Plan shall be subject to all applicable federal and state laws, rules and regulations, and to such approvals by any regulatory or governmental agency as may be required.
(b) Nontransferability. Awards shall not be transferable by a Participant, except upon a Participant's death following the end of a Performance Period but prior to the date payment is made, in which case the Award shall be transferable in accordance with any beneficiary designation made by the Participant in accordance with Section 7(i) or, in the absence thereof, by will or the laws of descent and distribution. No Participant's rights under the Plan may be assigned, attached, pledged or alienated by operation of law or otherwise.
(c) No Right To Continued Employment. Nothing in this Plan or in any Award granted pursuant to this Plan shall confer upon any Participant the right to continue in the Company's employ or to be entitled to any remuneration or benefits not set forth in this Plan, or to interfere with or limit in any way whatever rights the Company may otherwise have to terminate such Participant's employment or change such Participant's remuneration or otherwise establish the terms and conditions of such Participant's employment.
(d) Withholding Taxes. Where a Participant or other person is entitled to receive a payment pursuant to an Award, the Company shall have the right either to deduct from the payment, or to require the Participant or such other person to pay to the Company prior to delivery of such payment, an amount sufficient to satisfy any federal, state, local or other withholding tax requirements related thereto.
(e) Amendment, Termination and Duration of the Plan. The Board or the Committee may at any time and from time to time alter, amend, suspend, or terminate this Plan, in whole or in part, provided, however, that no amendment that requires stockholder approval in order for the Plan to continue to comply with Code Section 162(m) shall be effective unless the same shall be approved by the requisite vote of the Company's stockholders. Notwithstanding the foregoing, no amendment shall adversely affect any of the rights of any Participant under any Award following the end of the Performance Period to which such Award relates, provided, however, that the exercise of the Committee's discretion pursuant to Section 5(b) of this Plan to increase or decrease the amount of an Award shall not be deemed an amendment of this Plan.
(f) Participant Rights. No Participant shall have any claim to be granted any Award under this Plan, and there is no obligation for uniformity of treatment for Participants.
(g) Unfunded Status of Awards. The Plan is intended to constitute an "unfunded" plan for incentive compensation. With respect to any payments not yet made to a Participant pursuant to an Award, nothing contained in this Plan or any Award shall give any such Participant any rights that are greater than those of a general creditor of the Company.
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(h) Governing Law. This Plan and all determinations made and actions taken pursuant to this Plan shall be governed by the laws of the State of New York without giving effect to the conflict of laws principles thereof. This Plan is not intended to be subject to the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended.
(i) Beneficiary. A Participant may file a written designation of a beneficiary with the Committee (on a form as may be prescribed by the Committee), solely to specify that an Award to such Participant may be transferable upon such Participant's death following the end of a Performance Period but prior to the date payment is made pursuant to this Plan. A Participant may, from time to time, amend or revoke any such designation. If no designated beneficiary survives the Participant and an Award is payable to the Participant's beneficiary pursuant to Section 7(b) of this Plan, the executor or administrator of the Participant's estate shall be deemed to be the grantee's beneficiary.
(j) Interpretation. This Plan is designed and intended to comply, to the extent applicable, with Section 162(m) of the Code, and all provisions of this Plan shall be construed in a manner to so comply.
(k) Effective Date. This Plan shall be effective as of January 1, 2005, provided, however, that this Plan shall be subject to approval of the Company's stockholders at the annual meeting of the Company's stockholders to be held in 2005 (or any adjournment thereof) as is required to satisfy the conditions of Section 162(m) of the Code. In the absence of such approval, this Plan (and any Awards made pursuant to this Plan prior to the date of such approval) shall be null and void.
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